Sex trade workers' narratives of sexual violence: a field investigation

A total of 119 sex trade workers were interviewed about sexually violent experiences. Up to three narratives were elicited: a remarkable, positive (control) event (POS), a well-remembered sexual assault (WELL), and a poorly recalled sexual assault (POOR). The results demonstrated that WELL narratives contained more details than POS narratives despite the fact that the respective experiences were older. WELL narratives were also associated with higher intoxication and more rehearsal than POS narratives. POOR narratives were as detailed as POS narratives. WELL narratives were associated with more PTSD symptoms than POOR narratives. No weapon focus effect and no differences in peritraumatic dissociation were observed to explain this difference. This study was the first to demonstrate great within-participants variability of narrative details in accounts of sexual violence. The findings challenge common opinions in the eyewitness literature. Implications for expert testimony and credibility assessment are discussed.